He aims to catch the leader, and one day he just might.
Ryan Cochrane of Victoria won the silver medal in the men's 1,500-metre freestyle at the 2013 FINA world aquatics championships. But just as significantly, the Islander dramatically narrowed the gap between himself and gold-medallist Sun Yang of China, the Olympic champion and world record-holder who many consider unbeatable.
Yang touched in 14 minutes, 41.15 seconds and Cochrane just over a second later in 14:42.85.
That gap was nearly nine seconds last year in London when Yang won the Olympic gold medal and Cochrane the silver.
“This makes me excited for the future,” said Cochrane, by phone from Barcelona following the race.
Yang won his third gold medal of the 2013 world championships by sweeping the 400, 800 and 1,500 freestyles. But on Sunday, his invincibility wasn't quite so obvious as he was seriously pushed by Cochrane as the Islander at least hinted at the possibility of a real chance to win it all by Rio 2016.
“I learned from my mistakes earlier in the week [when he was just out-touched at the wall in both the 400- and 800-metre freestyles, settling for fourth place in the 400 and winning bronze in the 800],” said Cochrane, who said he let the other swimmers dictate the terms in those races.
Cochrane and his Victoria Swimming Academy/Island Swimming coach Randy Bennett, who also coaches the Canadian team, recalibrated for the 1,500 metres and it showed.
“We had our race plan in the 1,500 metres and stuck to it. I was satisfied with my race,” said Cochrane, who became the all-time most decorated Canadian swimmer in the world championships by winning his sixth career worlds medal.
Gregorio Paltrinieri captured the bronze medal in an Italian national record 14:45.37.
“The field is not getting easier, just deeper,” noted Cochrane, who has two Olympic medals in the 1,500 metres, including bronze from Beijing 2008.
From Elk Lake Drive to Barcelona, there was no stopping the tsunami that rolled out of Saanich Commonwealth Place on to the planetary podium.
Victoria Academy of Swimming/Island Swimming matched, if not topped, what entire nations accomplished at the 2013 FINA world aquatics championships in the Catalan capital.
Cochrane's silver Sunday was the club's fourth medal of the world championships for Canada. The others came through Cochrane's bronze in the 800-metre freestyle and breakout medals by Eric Hedlin, with his silver in the men's open-water 5K, and Hilary Caldwell, who lowered the Canadian record three times over two days in winning bronze in the women's 200-metre backstroke.
Victoria Academy/Island Swimming accounted for all four swimming medals, and more than half of the seven overall Canadian medals (including three from Quebec divers), in the 2013 world aquatics championships.
Cochrane admitted to being as “surprised” as anyone else about the stunning Hedlin and Caldwell breakthroughs in one way, yet not in another.
“They are strong individuals and I see how hard they work every day at Saanich Commonwealth Place,” said Cochrane.
“We all love the sport and love racing. And every day, we go out and try to better what we did in the past.”
Emerging Victoria Academy/Island Swimming performers Alec Page, who was an Olympian last year at age 18, was 13th Sunday in the men's 400-metre IM (4:16.62) and 18-year-old Will Brothers 25th in the 1,500-metre freestyle (15:24.74) in his first world championships.
“The younger group coming up in the club sees what we do on a regular basis and they can imagine being the best in the world,” said Cochrane.
“And that's an inspiring feeling to have in any club.”
